Entries for November, 2009
Nov.19, 2009 in
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Mobility and gaming have been at odds for a long time, but Asus thinks its G51J could be the solution. With Intel Core i7 Mobile CPU technology and Nvidia’s recent GeForce GTX-260M, is this mid-sized, mid-priced notebook too good to be true at ~$1,500? Nvidia – Intel Core i7 – GeForce – Central processing unit [...]
Nov.17, 2009 in
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Despite the successful launches of its Radeon HD 5870, 5850, 5770, and 5750 DirectX 11-class graphics cards, there was one title ATI still couldn’t claim: the world’s fastest discrete board. ATI circles back to take that title with a dual-GPU stunner. DirectX – Radeon – ATI Technologies – Graphics processing unit – ATI Radeon HD [...]
Nov.17, 2009 in
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While the GeForce G 210 and GT 220 lacked inspiring performance, this newest model boasts enough of a punch to make us sit up and take notice. We have a detailed look at the first Nvidia graphics card to be paired with GDDR5 memory, its GeForce GT 240. Nvidia – Video card – GeForce – [...]
Nov.12, 2009 in
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Seagate’s Replica is a portable hard drive with automatic backup, versioning, and disaster recovery features to make backup a no-brainer. The product works so well that it deserves our rare Best of Tom’s Award. Seagate Technology – Hard disk drive – Hardware – Storage – Hard Drive Original post by Janet Cloninger
Nov.11, 2009 in
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The exceptional value of LGA 1156-based platforms demands memory modules equal in value. Testing Newegg’s six cheapest 4GB dual-channel kits revealed some surprisingly good parts. We’re comparing them today, with a definitive winner you’ll want to see. Intel Corporation – DDR3 SDRAM – Land grid array – Dual-channel architecture – Hardware Original post by Janet [...]
Nov.10, 2009 in
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Upper-range P55 motherboards cost around $100 less than similarly-equipped X58 products, but are these still good enough for enthusiasts? We take a closer look at eight different models, dissect their features, benchmark them, and come away with a winner. Motherboard – Land grid array – Hardware – Components – FAQs Help and Tutorials Original post [...]
Nov.09, 2009 in
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What does it mean to build a truly-balanced PC? How great would it be to piece together a machine bottlenecked by neither CPU or GPU? We set forth to measure the perfect balance in seven different games and four resolutions in this first of several parts. Original post by Janet Cloninger
Nov.08, 2009 in
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Batman: Arkham Asylum is purported to be the definitive Batman game. We’re testing it on a range of mainstream graphics cards, a number of CPU settings, and with PhysX on and off. You’ll walk away from this one knowing whether an upgrade is in order. Original post by Janet Cloninger
Nov.05, 2009 in
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When it comes to mechanical hard drive performance, 7,200 RPM drives are considered the fastest. But does that convention apply in a NAS environment as well? We compare network storage performance with a handful of Samsung’s “green” drives to see. Original post by Janet Cloninger
Nov.04, 2009 in
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There’s actually a lot to discuss in this month’s column: the introduction of AMD’s new Radeon HD 5000-series GPUs, Nvidia’s new GeForce GT 220 and GeForce 210, availability of previous-gen high-end cards, and the state of the graphics war in general. Original post by Janet Cloninger